KORITE: The appointed commission of lunar cycle experts confirmed the crescent stage of the moon and declared last Tuesday the end of Ramadan. The official Arabic name of this holiday is Eid ul-Fitr (pronounced Eed-ul-feetree), but in Senegal it is called Korite (pronounced Core-ree-tay). On the eve of Korite, after alerting the students by phone-tree that they would not have classes on Wednesday and Thursday, I went to bed filled with pre-holiday anticipation. Those of you who know me well know that I am a staunch traditionalist when it comes to celebrating holidays (namely Thanksgiving and Christmas). This is possibly due to the traditional focus on food during the festivities; Korite is no different.

On Wednesday we took advantage of the day off to sleep in and catch up on our political news (aka watch Katie Couric's Sarah Palin interview on youtube). After sufficiently expressing our disgust, we put on our taille basses, sculpted our fulaars (head wraps), and scurried out into the midday heat, excited for the feasting ahead. I say scurried, because in a tight-fitting taille basse skirt and heels, scurry is all one can really do. Little did we know that everyone else waits to let the heat pass during the day before dressing up at five in the evening to visit neighbors, family and friends. I'm sure we were a sight: three (possibly Cap Verdienne?) girls teetering along in the heat in our own attempt at boubou bling, looking a little like peacocks caught wandering in a desert. Side note: the abilities to brave extreme heat and laugh at oneself are both key to survival in Senegal.


We made a couple of stops to pick up boxes of pastries and drinks to offer our hosts and then made our way to our various meal invitations. First stop was my former host auntie, Tata Awa, mother of my host sister (or cousin), Yacine. Yacine, now 18 years old, lives with her mother and two younger sisters in their posh apartment with an unobstructed view of Yoff beach and the ocean. Moussou, my 'sister,' who I endearingly call 'sama xol' (my heart, in wolof), was the one who had invited us. She set out a mat for us on the breezy balcony and busily chatted with us and cooked in intervals. First we were served some delicious laax, an oatmeal-like millet served with raisins and a sweet yogurt sauce infused with rose and cardamom. Laax is a special treat, served only on holidays, baptisms and wedding ceremonies.

Me and my Senegalese sisters: Yacine and Moussou

While we digested the laax, we talked, took a series of ridiculous photos and sprawled out on the mats enjoying the ocean breeze. It was one of the most relaxing holiday moments I've had in a while.

Before leaving we were served yet another dish for lunch: a fresh salad and an entree of grilled chicken and grilled goat spiced with garlic and piment (hot red pepper), served with a mouthwatering spicy onion sauce and mustard. This meal knocked us out for another hour and we only managed to escape the void of our own lethargy when we heard talk of dessert. "No, we can't possibly" we insisted, "we still have dinner to go to." It was close to 5pm when we finally left.

The next stop was to visit Duma's former host family in our old neighborhood of Mermoz. There we impressed everyone with our slow recitation of Wolof Korite greetings:

Duma: Baal ma ag (forgive me - for all the year's transgressions)
Courtney: Baal naa la (I forgive you)
Duma: Yallah nanu Yallah bole baal (May God forgive the both of us)

We ended the night having yet another sumptuous meal at the home of our landlord/neighbor, Oumou Ndiaye (she and her family live in the house below us along with one of my students). There we had another fresh salad, coconut chicken, and fried potatoes. Before leaving she handed us a big pot of beef stew and a bag of cere (a local couscous that you can literally feel expanding in your belly) to take home with us.

Tired and overfed we made the treck upstairs to our apartment and, assuring each other that we would get up after napping for a few hours to go out dancing in our traditional outfits (a common activity among young adults on Korite), we each slipped into a deep and dreamless sleep.

*For more details and pics see Duma's blog